Method for operating an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

Method for operating an air conditioning device (2) of a motor vehicle (1), wherein the motor vehicle (1) comprises the air conditioning device (2) having a plurality of air conditioning components (15) for air conditioning a motor vehicle interior (3) and a plurality of passenger seats (7, 9, 11, 12) arranged in the motor vehicle interior (3), wherein a sub-space (8, 10, 13, 14) of the motor vehicle interior (3) is assigned or assignable to each of the passenger seats (7, 9, 11, 12), wherein in the presence of a sub-space selection signal selecting a sub-space (8, 10, 13, 14), at least one air conditioning component (15) assigned to a sub-space (8, 10, 13, 14) other than the selected sub-space (8, 10, 13, 14) is operated in a modified manner such that a background noise in the selected sub-space (8, 10, 13, 14) generated by the air conditioning device (2),is reduced and / or a temperature to be set via the air conditioning device (2) is reached or maintained more quickly in the selected sub-room (8, 10, 13, 14), wherein priority information is detected which relates to a measure of a desired difference between the selected sub-room (8, 10, 13, 14) and the other sub-rooms (8, 10, 13, 14) with regard to the background noise and / or a duration until the temperature to be set via the air conditioning device (2) is reached, wherein the air conditioning components (15) are additionally operated depending on the priority information.

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating an air-conditioning device of a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle comprises the air-conditioning device having a plurality of air-conditioning components for air-conditioning a motor vehicle interior and a plurality of passenger seats arranged in the motor vehicle interior, wherein each of the passenger seats is or can be assigned a subspace of the motor vehicle interior. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.Air conditioning devices in motor vehicles which make possible a passenger-space-specific setting of air conditioning parameters, in particular the temperature or the intensity or the volume flow of an outflowing air volume flow, are known from the prior art.For example, KR 10 2016 0 093 766 A discloses a three-zone air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle. In this system, an air flow provided by a blower is guided via a system of a plurality of air ducts to different passenger spaces of the motor vehicle. This system comprises adjustable flaps arranged in the system of air ducts, by means of which flaps the proportions of the air flow which are supplied to the respective passenger spaces can be adjusted. If feedback information relating to the current flap positions cannot be provided to a control device on account of a malfunction, the flaps are automatically brought into their end positions, so that the air flow provided by the blower is only still supplied to the driver's seat and to a VIP space.DE 10 2012 221 415 A1 discloses a ventilation control device for a vehicle seat having a blower, by means of which air is blown to a person sitting there via ventilation openings of the seat. A degree of blocking of the ventilation openings and consequently a sitting posture of the person is determined via a rotational speed of the blower. On this basis, the rotational speed of the blower is controlled in such a way that, even in the case of a changed seat posture, an effective seat air conditioning on the one hand and a blowing noise which is as little perceptible as possible on the other hand are realized.DE 10 2009 032 600 A1 discloses a concept for controlling a climate control system of a motor vehicle, in which a control signal that brings about the reduction of this deviation is generated in the event of a deviation of an actual temperature value from a predefined temperature setpoint value by a threshold value. In this case, the threshold value is changed as a function of a noise level prevailing in the vehicle interior, which noise level is detected, for example, by sensor means.A further concept in connection with the operation of an air conditioning system of a vehicle is known from DE 10 2017 003 550 A1, wherein a steerable outlet is provided for introducing an air flow into a vehicle interior. In this case, the vehicle interior is divided into a plurality of ventilation zones, wherein it is detected in which of the ventilation zones is a seat with an occupant. Accordingly, ventilation of the respective ventilation zone is activated as a function of an occupant located in this ventilation zone.US 2012 / 0 142 264 A1 relates to a climate control system for a vehicle. This can be operated in a normal air conditioning mode and in a prioritization air conditioning mode. In the normal air conditioning mode, a specific area of the passenger compartment is air conditioned with a driver seat and a non-specific area of the passenger compartment that does not include the specific area. On the other hand, in the prioritization air-conditioning mode, the air-conditioning performance in the non-specific region is reduced depending on an air pressure caused due to the traveling motion and acting on a fan.The present invention is based on the object of specifying an air conditioning concept for a motor vehicle in which optimized operation of an air conditioning device with regard to aspects specific to the passenger compartment is made possible.According to the invention, the object is achieved by means of a method according to claim 1.The invention is therefore based on the concept of operating the air-conditioning device set up for passenger-space-specific air-conditioning in such a way, when the subspace selection signal is present, that the comfort within the subspace selected by the subspace selection signal is improved, wherein, in parallel thereto, the comfort could also be correspondingly reduced in the other subspaces not selected by the subspace selection signal. This is achieved by changing the operation of the air-conditioning components which are not assigned to the selected subspace, that is to say in particular are not arranged within the selected subspace and / or are not provided primarily for the air-conditioning of the selected subspace.In other words, at least one air-conditioning component which is not assigned to the subspace selected by the subspace selection signal is changed in its operation in such a way that the comfort increase in the selected subspace is realized as a result. In this context, it is also conceivable that, in parallel with this, an air-conditioning component assigned to the selected subspace, which is arranged in particular in this subspace or is provided primarily for air-conditioning the selected subspace, is likewise changed in its operation in order to achieve a further increase in comfort in the selected subspace.In connection with the noise gate generated by the air-conditioning device, this can specifically mean that at least one air-conditioning component generating a noise, which is arranged in the selected subspace or is located in the spatial vicinity of the selected subspace, is changed in its operation in such a way that the noise generated by it becomes less, or possibly even disappears. In order to compensate the air-conditioning effect generated by this air-conditioning component in the selected subspace, an air-conditioning component likewise generating a noise can instead be operated correspondingly more strongly in a non-selected subspace. As a result, it is evident that the noise gate or noise nuisance caused by the air-conditioning device is reduced in the selected subspace, whereas the noise gate correspondingly increases in one or more other, unselected subspaces.With regard to the temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device, this can concretely mean that at least one of the air-conditioning components assigned to the unselected subspace is returned with regard to its air-conditioning performance. In this case, air-conditioning power is understood to mean the power by means of which the air to be introduced into the corresponding subspace is cooled or heated. This measure is advantageous in particular when the air-conditioning device has only a limited total power available for operating all air-conditioning components, which is not sufficient to enable the temperature to be set to be reached quickly in all subspaces, in particular in the complete motor vehicle interior.If at least one of the air-conditioning components assigned to the non-selected subspace is thus returned by a certain amount with respect to its air-conditioning performance, at least one of the air-conditioning components assigned to the selected subspace can be operated with an air-conditioning performance increased by this amount. In this way, despite a possibly limited total power of the air conditioning device, it is made possible for the desired temperature to be reached rapidly in the selected subspace or for the temperature which has already been reached to be maintained reliably constant. This ultimately takes place at the expense of the unselected subspaces, in which the temperature to be set is not reached as quickly in comparison with the selected subspace or the already reached temperature to be set may not be maintained constant.An advantage of the method according to the invention compared to concepts known from the prior art is therefore that the subspace selection signal enables automatic preference of the selected subspace with regard to the air conditioning and / or the noise gate at the expense of the unselected subspaces. A corresponding setting of the air-conditioning devices can therefore take place almost without further assistance, for example by a driver of the motor vehicle, which can consequently more intensively devote to the traffic situation and is not distracted by the operation of the air-conditioning device. If necessary, the only action necessary for the driver to take is to generate the subspace connection signal, which will be discussed in detail later.Specifically, the change of the operation of the at least one air-conditioning component when the subspace selection signal is present can be realized in that at least one operating parameter of this air-conditioning component, in particular the air-conditioning performance already explained above or the like, is changed by means of a corresponding control of the air-conditioning component by a control device of the motor vehicle. A corresponding control or data communication between the control device and the air-conditioning components can take place via a data bus of the motor vehicle.The values by which the operating parameters are changed in concrete terms here can be stored in a look-up table stored in the control device. In the look-up table, corresponding values can be stored with respect to each of the air-conditioning components depending on which of the subspaces is currently selected. These values can also depend on further parameters such as a temperature in the motor vehicle interior, e.g. detected by sensors, or the like. Additionally or alternatively, these values can be determined by means of a calculation model or algorithm, wherein the input variables relate to the currently selected subspaces and, if appropriate, to the further parameters.In one conceivable application of the present invention, the motor vehicle is a sedan with which so-called "very important persons" (VIPs) are chauffed, wherein the VIP to be chauffed can take place in this case in the subspace selected by the subspace selection signal. Likewise, quite fundamentally and independently of any VIP status of a person to be chauffed, it is conceivable that, when chauffing several passengers, individual passengers put more value on a corresponding air conditioning comfort or a quiet background noise than others, wherein these passengers can take place in the selected subspace.With regard to the assignment of the subspaces to the passenger seats, it is conceivable for a separate subspace to be assigned to each of the passenger seats. However, a subspace can likewise be assigned to a plurality of passenger spaces. For example, a first subspace can be assigned to the driver seat, a second subspace to the passenger seat and a third subspace to a rear bank of the motor vehicle comprising a plurality of passenger seats. It is less preferred that passenger seats are not assigned to any of the selectable subspaces and consequently cannot be selected either. This can relate, for example, to the passenger seat on which typically not the VIP but instead only safety personnel or the like are placed.The subspace selection signal may select either one subspace or a plurality of subspaces. It is equally conceivable for there to be a plurality of subspace selection signals which each select only one subspace. Accordingly, it is made possible for a plurality of passengers who are seated in different subspaces to be respectively located in a selected subspace. During empty travel, it may be expedient for the driver to generate a subspace selection signal which selects the subspace in which the driver's seat of the motor vehicle is located. Optionally, no subspace selection signal at all can also be present, wherein in this case the entire motor vehicle interior is uniformly air-conditioned, that is to say that no preferred subspaces are present.In the method according to the invention, it can be provided that the air conditioning components influence a temperature and / or an outflow speed and / or an outflow direction of the air supplied to the motor vehicle interior by means of the air conditioning device. If the air-conditioning component influences the temperature of the air, i.e. is in particular a heating or a cooling device, the operating or air-conditioning performance of an air-conditioning component assigned to a non-selected subspace can be reduced, wherein, in parallel thereto, the operating or air-conditioning performance of an air-conditioning component assigned to the selected subspace is increased.If the air-conditioning component influences the outflow speed of the air, i.e. is in particular a fan or a fan and therefore a component generating a noise, the operating power of at least one air-conditioning component assigned to the selected subspace or arranged in the selected subspace can be reduced, wherein, in parallel thereto, the operating power of at least one air-conditioning component assigned to the non-selected subspace or arranged in the selected subspace is correspondingly increased.If the air-conditioning component influences the outflow direction of the air, this can be a ventilation grille with adjustable louvers arranged at an air outflow opening of an air duct. Typically, that subspace in which the ventilation grille or the associated air outflow opening is arranged is also that subspace which is intended to be supplied with conditioned air primarily by means of this air conditioning component. However, in the context of the present invention, it is conceivable that, in the presence of the subspace selection signal, the slats of a ventilation grille which is arranged in the unselected subspace are aligned such that the air flowing out of the associated air outflow opening flows in the direction of the selected subspace and therefore mainly serves for air conditioning the selected subspace.A combination of these different aspects is preferably conceivable. For example, in the selected subspace, a fan arranged therein can be reduced or even switched off with respect to its operating power. In order to compensate for the resulting missing air conditioning effect in the selected subspace, fans in the unselected subspace may instead be operated with an increased operating power, wherein ventilation grilles assigned to these fans are adjusted such that the outflowing air ultimately flows from the unselected subspace into the selected subspace. Optionally, this takes place with an increase in the air conditioning capacity of the heating or cooling device, which is assigned to the fans operated with an increased operating capacity.In one embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable that the subspace selection signal is present permanently. The permanently selected passenger space is thus preferably air-conditioned automatically and at any time. The subspace selection signal can be preset accordingly already at the factory and cannot be influenced by vehicle occupants, in particular by the driver or passengers of the motor vehicle. This can be expedient, for example, if the motor vehicle is provided exclusively for chauffing VIPs, in particular in service vehicles of politicians. Since at least one preferred passenger space is provided in such vehicles in any case, at which, for example, components of an infotainment system or a refrigerator or a particularly comfortable seat cushion and a large space available are provided, there is no need here to modify the subspace selection signal. In order to avoid unnecessary loading of the other passenger seats, such as during empty journeys, the permanently present subspace selection signal or priority information, which will be discussed in detail later, can nevertheless be modified, in particular automatically.Alternatively, the subspace selection signal can be generated by means of a user input carried out by a person located in the motor vehicle. This may be expedient, for example, when the VIP to be chauffed with the motor vehicle does not always occupy the same passenger space. The generation of the subspace selection signal can be carried out in this case depending on the situation, in particular by the driver or by the passenger. This can be done by means of at least one input device, which will be discussed in detail later.In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, user information relating to a user, in particular biometric features of the user, and / or occupancy information relating to the occupancy state of the passenger seats can be detected, wherein the presence of the subspace selection signal depends on the user information and / or the occupancy information. With regard to the acquisition of the occupancy information and / or the user information, sensors can be provided, which will be discussed in detail later.With regard to the occupancy information, it is therefore possible to detect which of the passenger seats are occupied or occupied by passengers, wherein corresponding subspace selection signals are automatically generated as a function thereof. Preferably, those subspaces can be selected which are assigned to the respectively occupied passenger spaces.The user information preferably relates to the identity of the passengers located in the vehicle. If an identification of a passenger has taken place, the presence of the subspace selection signal can depend, for example, on information stored in a database. In particular, the database can store in which persons a corresponding subspace selection signal is generated and in which persons are not. For example, the service vehicle of a policer may store in the database that a subspace selection signal for the subspace in which the policer has taken place is to be generated, whereas the subspaces in which, for example, his assistant, his body monitor or his driver are seated are not selected.In the method according to the invention, priority information is acquired which relates to a measure of a desired difference between the selected subspace and the other subspaces with respect to the background noise and / or the duration until the temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device is reached, wherein the air-conditioning components are additionally operated as a function of the priority information. In other words, the priority information is a measure of the extent to which the selected subspace is preferred over the unselected subspaces. With regard to the priority information, it can be provided in particular that a plurality of subspaces are selected, wherein each selected subspace is individually assigned a priority information item.The priority information may be, for example, a numerical value that is selectable from a predetermined interval. The preference for air conditioning the selected subspace can be greater the greater the numerical value representing the priority information. For example, the priority information can assume values between a minimum value, for example 0, and a maximum value, for example 100, wherein the minimum value means that there is no preference for the selected subspace. This would correspond to the case in which no subspace selection signal is present which selects the respective subspace. The maximum value, on the other hand, would mean that a maximum possible difference with respect to the preference of the selected subspace with respect to the other subspaces is realized. For example, in this case, if this is necessary, for example, due to the presence of a limited maximum operating power available for the air-conditioning device, it is conceivable that the air-conditioning of the non-selected subspaces is completely switched off in favor of an improved air-conditioning of the selected subspace. By way of example, the priority information, provided it is a number between 0 and 100, can specify the percentage value with respect to the maximum possible throttling of the operating performance of the components assigned to the non-selected subspace. Thus, if the priority information is equal to the value 38, then in the extreme case the components assigned to the unselected subspace can be operated with an operating power corresponding to 62 percent of their maximum possible operating power. In principle, values between 62 percent and 100 percent are permitted for this purpose.With regard to the detection of the priority information, it is conceivable that this is or can be specified by an occupant of the motor vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, different priority information can be stored as a function of corresponding user information, in particular in the database. In other words, each person, if it is stored in the database, can be assigned a fixed or modifiable priority information value, which is automatically set upon recognition of this person.If the motor vehicle is an electric or hybrid vehicle, it can additionally or alternatively be provided that the priority information depends on residual energy information relating to the current state of charge of an energy store of the motor vehicle. The energy store is provided here for storing an energy provided for driving the motor vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the residual energy information can relate to a remaining residual range of the motor vehicle. For example, if the remaining energy currently stored in the energy store is not sufficient for the motor vehicle to travel along a predefined travel route to be completed, the priority information is correspondingly adapted. This adaptation is preferably carried out in such a way that the air-conditioning device requires less energy overall and the difference amount of the energy arising as a result can be used in addition to the propulsion of the motor vehicle. The priority information can be reduced here, for example, by exactly the value that the air-conditioning device consumes exactly as much energy less than the motor vehicle requires in order to still be able to reach the intended destination or the next charging station.The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a control device and an air-conditioning device having a plurality of air-conditioning components for air-conditioning a motor vehicle interior and a plurality of passenger seats arranged in the motor vehicle interior, wherein each of the passenger seats is assigned or can be assigned a subspace of the motor vehicle interior, wherein the control device is configured to carry out the method according to the invention. All features and advantages mentioned in connection with the method can also be applied analogously to the motor vehicle and vice versa.The air conditioning device can be an air conditioning system comprising a cooling circuit and having a system of air ducts. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that fresh air is supplied to the air-conditioning device from the outside, which is correspondingly air-conditioned by means of the air-conditioning components and supplied to the motor vehicle interior.The control device can preferably be a central processing unit which is set up for the detection and evaluation of possibly present subspace selection signals. Furthermore, the control device can be configured to actuate the air-conditioning components or actuator-type actuating means assigned to the air-conditioning components.The air-conditioning components can be a heating device and / or a cooling device and / or a fan and / or a component arranged at an air outflow opening and influencing the outflow direction of the air, in particular a ventilation grille with adjustable louvers. Within the air channels, in particular in the regions of the air outflow openings, a fan or fan can be arranged. Within the cooling system, a plurality of air-conditioning components designed as heating and / or cooling components can be provided, which are each assigned to corresponding subspaces. Thus, for example, a cooling device, in particular an evaporator, can be assigned respectively to subspaces assigned to the two front seats and a further evaporator can be assigned to subspaces assigned to a rear bank of the motor vehicle. Further alternative embodiments of the architecture of the air conditioning device of the motor vehicle are of course conceivable within the scope of the present invention.In the motor vehicle according to the invention, it can be provided that it comprises at least one input device connected to the control device, in particular a touchscreen or a voice input device, by means of which input information representing the subspace selection signal or generating it and / or the priority information or priority information can be predefined. The input information can therefore be generated by an occupant of the motor vehicle by touching a corresponding field of the touchscreen. The same applies to the priority information, which can be generated or set, for example, by means of a slider shown on the touchscreen. Likewise, the generation of the subspace selection signal and / or the input information and / or the priority information can be effected by means of voice recognition software which evaluates a voice signal detected by a voice input device designed as a microphone.The input device connected to the control device can be arranged in the operating range of the driver of the motor vehicle, wherein a subspace selection signal selecting any of the subspaces of the motor vehicle can be predefined by means of the input device. The input device is thus, for example, a touchscreen arranged on an instrument panel of the motor vehicle, which the driver of the motor vehicle can thus reach from his position without problems and easily. Depending on which passenger has put room in which seat, the driver can then manually set or generate the subspace selection signal. It is furthermore conceivable that the priority information can also be predefined by the driver via the input device.In a possible embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, the or a further input device is arranged in the or one of the selectable subspaces, wherein only one subspace selection signal selecting this subspace can be predefined by means of the or the further input device. Thus, a passenger who has not seated on the driver's seat of the motor vehicle is allowed to generate a subspace selection signal for the subspace in which he is currently seated. For this purpose, the further input device is preferably likewise connected to the control device. It is furthermore conceivable that the priority information can also be predefined by the passenger via the further input device. In the simplest case, the further input device or devices arranged in the selectable subspace or one of the selectable subspaces is a button or switch, in particular with the label "VIP", by means of which the subspace selection signal can be generated and deleted, that is to say, in other words, the preference of this subspace can be switched on or off during the air conditioning. The further input device can also be designed as a touchscreen or as a voice input device.In the motor vehicle according to the invention, it can be provided that it comprises at least one sensor connected to the control device for detecting data relating to at least one subspace assigned to the sensor, wherein the control device is configured to generate the or a user information item and / or the or an occupancy information item on the basis of the data detected by the sensor. With regard to the occupancy information, it is thus made possible by means of the sensor to detect for the respectively assigned subspace whether a passenger has occupied there. If yes, it can be detected within the scope of the evaluation of the user information which identity this passenger has. As a function thereof, the subspace selection signal and, if appropriate, the priority information or priority information can then be generated.In this context, it is possible for the sensor to be a camera with which at least one of the subspaces can be detected. The captured camera images can be supplied to image data evaluation software which detects which of the seats is occupied and who is the respective person, in particular by means of a face recognition algorithm.The sensor may further be a microphone, wherein voice and / or voice recognition software may be used to detect the identity of a person. Furthermore, for this purpose, the sensor can be a fingerprint scanner and / or an eye scanner.In addition, for the detection or generation of the occupancy information, the sensor can be a pressure sensor arranged in a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, which is in particular designed as a seat. This can serve, for example, for verifying the results which are based on the evaluated data of other sensors.Further advantages and details of the invention are evident from the exemplary embodiments described below and from the figures. The following are shown here: FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows the motor vehicle from FIG. 1, in particular with regard to the details of the air-conditioning device.FIGS. 1 and 2 show a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention with an air-conditioning device 2, the details of which are shown only in FIG. 2 for the sake of clarity. The method according to the invention is explained below with reference to the motor vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.In a motor vehicle interior 3 of the motor vehicle 1 forming a passenger compartment, a driver seat 4, a passenger seat 5 and a rear bench 6 arranged behind the seats 4, 5 are provided. A passenger seat 7 and the subspace 8 and the passenger seat 5 are assigned to the driver seat 4 and to the passenger seat 9 and to the subspace 10. The passenger seats 11 and 12 and the subspaces 13 and 14 are assigned to the rear bench 6. The subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 are indicated in FIG. 1 by the dashed lines.The air-conditioning device 2 provided for air-conditioning the motor vehicle interior 3 comprises a plurality of air-conditioning components 15. The merely exemplary architecture of the air-conditioning device 2 comprises a plurality of air ducts 16. The air-conditioning device 2 can be designed, for example, as a closed circuit, wherein the motor vehicle interior 3 represents a subsection of this circuit. Alternatively, fresh air can also be supplied to the air-conditioning device 2 from outside the motor vehicle 1. Both options are indicated in FIG. 2 by the air ducts 16 broken off on the left side. The air-conditioning components 15 of the air-conditioning device 2 are heating devices 17, cooling devices 18 which are designed in particular as evaporators, a plurality of fans 19 and components with adjustable louvers which are arranged at respective air outflow openings 20 and are designed, by way of example, as ventilation grilles 21 and influence the outflow direction of the air.A heating device 17 and a cooling device 18 are assigned to each of the two front subspaces 8, 10 and to the two rear subspaces 13, 14. Assigned to each of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 or arranged in each of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 is a fan 19 and an air outflow opening 20 with a ventilation grille 21.To carry out the method according to the invention, the motor vehicle 1 comprises a control device 22, which is connected to the corresponding air-conditioning components 15 to be controlled or associated actuators via a data bus of the motor vehicle, wherein these connections are omitted in FIGS. 1 and 2 for the sake of clarity. If a subspace signal is present which selects a subspace 8, 10, 13, 14, at least one air-conditioning component 15 which is assigned to a different subspace than the selected subspace 8, 10, 13, 14 is changed in its operation. In this case, a noise background in the selected subspace 8, 10, 13, 14, which noise background is generated by the air-conditioning device 2 or the air-conditioning components 15, respectively, is reduced and / or a temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device 2 is reached or maintained more quickly in the selected subspace 8, 10, 13, 14.The idea on which the invention is based and the advantages resulting therefrom are explained below by way of example on the basis of an example in which the subspace selection signal present selects subspace 14, that is to say that subspace 14 which is assigned to passenger-side passenger seat 12 of rear bank 6. Furthermore, it should be provided by way of example that the air conditioning device 2 is intended to achieve cooling of the air located in the motor vehicle interior 3.Thus, with regard to the reduction of the noise background in the selected subspace 14, those air-conditioning components 15 are controlled which contribute the main contribution to the generation of the noise background. In the present case, these are the fans 19. Thus, the fans 19 arranged in the subspaces 8, 10 and 13 are changed to an operating state in that these fans 19 are operated with an increased operating power. Furthermore, the fan 19 arranged in the selected subspace 14 is throttled with respect to its operating capacity. It follows from this finally that the noises caused by the fans 19 are reduced in the selected subspace 14, whereas the noise gate in the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13 becomes somewhat louder.With regard to the temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device, the cooling device 18 assigned to the two subspaces 13, 14 is raised with regard to its cooling capacity, whereas the cooling device 18 assigned to the unselected subspaces 8, 10 is lowered with regard to its cooling capacity. As a result, this can be seen, in the rear region of the motor vehicle interior 3, that is to say in particular in the selected subspace 14, a more efficient cooling effect occurs than in the front part of the motor vehicle interior 3, in particular the subspaces 8, 10. Furthermore, the ventilation grille 21 arranged in the unselected subspace 13 or a corresponding actuator is controlled by the control device 22 in such a way that the air flow flowing out of the air outflow opening 20 of the unselected subspace 13 is directed in the direction of the selected subspace 14.As a result, the temperature to be set by means of the air-conditioning device 2 is reached more quickly in the selected subspace 14, in contrast to the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13. It also follows from this that a temperature that may already be set can be maintained more reliably in the selected subspace 14 than in the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13 that are either exposed to a lower cooling capacity (see subspace 8, 10) or whose temperature-controlled air is instead supplied to the subspace 14 by means of one of the ventilation grilles 21 (see subspace 13).Specifically, the change in the operation of the cooling devices 18, the fans 19 and the ventilation grilles 21 is realized by changing values for the cooling capacity of the cooling devices 18, for the operating capacity of the fans 19 and for the position of the ventilation grilles 21 by means of a corresponding control by the control device 22.The values by which these operating parameters are changed concretely are stored in a look-up table stored in the control device 22. The look-up table contains values relating to each of the air conditioning components 15 depending on which of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 is currently selected. These values also depend on a temperature in the motor vehicle interior detected by sensors. Alternatively, these values can be determined by means of a calculation model or algorithm, wherein the input variables relate to the currently selected subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 and, if appropriate, to the further parameters.This thus results in the advantage that greater comfort is realized in the selected subspace 14 with respect to the operation of the air-conditioning device 2. In contrast to multizone air-conditioning devices known from the prior art, for this purpose a driver of the motor vehicle 1 does not have to set the temperature or outflow direction or the like separately manually, which could deviate it from the traffic situation, but rather the mere presence of the corresponding subspace selection signal is sufficient for this purpose. A particularly preferred field of application thereof is, for example, motor vehicles with which famous personalities or colloquially VIPs are to be chauffed. In the example just explained, this personality expediently takes up space in the passenger space 12, that is to say therefore in the selected subspace 14.With regard to the subspace selection signal, it is provided in the motor vehicle 1 that this is generated by means of a user input carried out by a driver of the motor vehicle 1 located on the driver's seat 4. The driver can therefore be adapted to the respective situation, who is or is not carrying out the corresponding user input. For this purpose, an input device 23 connected to the control device 22 is provided, which is arranged in an operating region 24 of the driver, in particular on a dashboard 25, and is designed, for example, as a touchscreen 26. Additionally or alternatively, a voice input device can be provided for this purpose. The driver can specify a subspace selection signal which selects any of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 of the motor vehicle 1 via the input device 23. The driver can therefore decide and specify whether a subspace 8, 10, 13, 14 or which of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 is preferably air-conditioned. Furthermore, it is also possible in this context for the driver of the motor vehicle 1 to select a plurality of subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14, which are preferably air-conditioned. For this purpose, either one subspace selection signal selecting a plurality of subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 or a plurality of subspace signals each selecting one of subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 can be generated.Furthermore, two further input devices 27 are provided, which are assigned to the subspaces 13, 14. The further input devices 27 are likewise each designed as a touchscreen and are arranged on the rear sides of the backrests of the seats 4, 5 and are therefore accessible to the passenger located in the subspaces 13, 14. By means of the further input devices 27, a subspace selection signal can be preset which selects the respectively assigned subspace 13, 14. In the motor vehicle 1 according to the invention, therefore, not only the driver can generate a subspace selection signal, but also the passengers seated on the rear bench 6. By way of example, a further input device 27 which would be assigned to the subspace 10 assigned to the passenger seat 5 is not provided, since the input device 23 is readily accessible for a passenger seated there, in the same way as the driver.With regard to the generation of the subspace selection signal, it can be provided in an exemplary embodiment not shown here that this is present permanently. In this case, the permanently selected passenger space is therefore preferably air-conditioned automatically and at any time. Apart from the features relating to the generation of the subspace selection signal, this exemplary embodiment otherwise corresponds to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. If the subspace selection signal is present permanently, that is to say has already been set up at the factory, the occupants of the motor vehicle 1 cannot influence the subspace selection signal any further. This is expedient, for example, if one of the passenger seats 7, 9, 11, 12 of the motor vehicle 1 is provided permanently as a passenger seat preferred by the air-conditioning device 2. Nevertheless, in order to avoid unnecessary loading of the unselected passenger seats 7, 9, 11, 12, it is also provided in this exemplary embodiment that the subspace selection signal or priority information associated with the subspace selection signal, which is discussed in detail later, can be changed automatically.The motor vehicle 1 further comprises a plurality of sensors 28 connected to the control device 22. By means of the camera 29, user information relating to the respective user is generated. For this purpose, the camera images captured by the camera 29 are transmitted to the control device 22, wherein these are then supplied to corresponding face recognition software. The identity of the passengers located in the motor vehicle 1 is then recorded by means of a database, provided these are stored in the database. For this purpose, further sensors 28, such as a microphone and / or a fingerprint scanner and / or an eye scanner, can optionally also be provided, by means of which the identity of a corresponding person can likewise be determined.Furthermore, sensors 28 designed as pressure sensors 30 are provided, which are arranged in the passenger seat 5 and in the regions of the passenger seats 11, 12 of the rear bench 6, respectively. By means of the pressure sensors 30, occupancy information relating to the occupancy state of the respective associated passenger seats 9, 11, 12 is detected. In other words, the pressure sensors 30 are used to detect whether and on which of the passenger seats 9, 11, 12 a passenger has in each case taken place.The data of all sensors 28 are correspondingly combined for verification purposes and evaluated together. Finally, the presence of the subspace selection signal depends on the user information obtained by means of the sensors 28 and the occupancy information, so that the previously described manual generation of the subspace selection signal by an occupant of the motor vehicle 1 only has to be or can be optionally carried out.An aspect according to the invention of the exemplary embodiment shown relates to the detection of priority information which relates to a measure of a desired difference between the selected subspace 8, 10, 13, 14 and the other subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 with respect to the noise gate and / or the duration until the temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device 2 is reached, wherein the air-conditioning components 15 are additionally operated as a function of the priority information. The priority information thus indicates the extent to which the selected subspace 8, 10, 13, 14 is preferably air-conditioned in comparison to the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14.This will be explained below by way of example on the basis of the example already explained above, in which subspace 14 is selected. The priority information is exemplarily a numerical value between 0 and 100, wherein the higher the numerical value concerning the priority information, the greater the preference of air conditioning the selected subspace 14. If the priority information corresponds to the numerical value 0, then this means that no preference is given to the selected subspace 14, which therefore ultimately corresponds to the case in which none of the subspaces 8, 10, 13, 14 is selected. If the priority information corresponds to the numerical value 100, then this means that a maximum possible difference is realized with respect to the preference of the selected subspace 14 compared to the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13. If it is necessary, for example, due to the presence of a limited maximum operating power available for the air-conditioning device 2, in this extreme case the air-conditioning of the non-selected subareas 8, 10, 13 is completely switched off in favor of an improved air-conditioning of the selected subareas 14.Specifically, the priority information therefore indicates the percentage value with respect to the maximum possible throttling of the operating performance of the components 15 assigned to the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13. If, by way of example, the priority information corresponds to the value 38, then the components 15 assigned to the unselected subspaces 8, 10, 13 can be operated in the extreme case with an operating power which corresponds to 62 percent of their maximum possible operating power. In principle, values between 62 percent and 100 percent are permitted for this purpose.The priority information can be predefined by the occupants of the motor vehicle 1 by means of the input device 23 and for the respectively associated subspace 13, 14 by means of the further input device 27. To set the priority information, a slider displayed on the input device 23 and the further input devices 27 is provided, wherein the numbers between 0 and 100 can be selected by means of the slider. In addition, the priority information is stored in the database as a function of the user information and is automatically predefined when identifying the identity of the corresponding person. By means of the input device 23 and / or the further input devices 27, the occupants can, however, still subsequently change this automatically predefined priority information.Since the motor vehicle 1 is designed as an electric vehicle, the priority information additionally depends on residual energy information relating to the current state of charge of an energy store 31 of the motor vehicle 1. The energy store 31 is provided for storing an energy provided for driving the motor vehicle 1. In addition, the remaining energy information relates to a remaining remaining remaining range of the motor vehicle 1. Thus, if the remaining energy currently stored in the energy storage 31 is not sufficient for the motor vehicle 1 to travel along a predefined travel route to be completed, the priority information is adjusted accordingly. This adaptation is effected in such a way that the air-conditioning device 2 requires less energy overall and the difference amount of the energy arising as a result is used in addition to the propulsion of the motor vehicle 1. The priority information can be reduced here, for example, by exactly the value which is still required for the motor vehicle 1 to still be able to reach the intended destination or the next charging station.

Claims

Method for operating an air-conditioning device (2) of a motor vehicle (1), wherein the motor vehicle (1) comprises the air-conditioning device (2) having a plurality of air-conditioning components (15) for air-conditioning a motor vehicle interior (3) and a plurality of passenger spaces (7, 9, 11, 12) arranged in the motor vehicle interior (3), wherein each of the passenger spaces (7, 9, 11, 12) is assigned or can be assigned a subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) of the motor vehicle interior (3), wherein, when a subspace selection signal is present which selects a subspace (8, 10, 13, 14), at least one air-conditioning component (15) assigned to a subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) other than the selected subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) is operated in a modified manner in its operation in such a way that a noise gate in the selected subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) which is generated by the air-conditioning device (2) is operated, The temperature of the selected subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) to be set via the air-conditioning device (2) is reached or maintained more quickly, wherein priority information is detected which relates to a measure of a desired difference between the selected subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) and the other subspaces (8, 10, 13, 14) with respect to the noise gate and / or a duration until the temperature to be set via the air-conditioning device (2) is reached, wherein the air-conditioning components (15) are additionally operated as a function of the priority information.Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the air-conditioning components (15) influence a temperature and / or an outflow speed and / or an outflow direction of the air supplied to the motor vehicle interior (3) by means of the air-conditioning device (2).Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the subspace selection signal is present permanently or is generated by means of a user input carried out by a person located in the motor vehicle (1).Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a user information item relating to a user, in particular biometric features of the user, and / or an occupancy information item relating to the occupancy state of the passenger seats (7, 9, 11, 12) is detected, wherein the presence of the subspace selection signal depends on the user information item and / or the occupancy information item.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the motor vehicle (1) is an electric or hybrid vehicle, wherein the priority information is dependent on a residual energy information item relating to the current state of charge of an energy store (31) of the motor vehicle (1) and / or on a residual energy information item relating to the remaining residual range of the motor vehicle (1).Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of subspaces (8, 10, 13, 14) are selected, wherein each selected subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) is individually assigned priority information.Motor vehicle (1) comprising a control device (22) and an air-conditioning device (2) having a plurality of air-conditioning components (15) for air-conditioning a motor vehicle interior (3) and a plurality of passenger seats (7, 9, 11, 12) arranged in the motor vehicle interior (3), wherein each of the passenger seats (7, 9, 11, 12) is assigned or can be assigned a subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) of the motor vehicle interior (3), wherein the control device (22) is configured to carry out the method according to one of the preceding claims.Motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the air-conditioning components (15) are a heating device (17) and / or a cooling device (18) and / or a fan (19) and / or a component, in particular a ventilation grille (21) with adjustable slats, which is arranged on an air outflow opening (20) and influences the outflow direction of the air.Motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it comprises at least one input device (23), in particular a touchscreen (26) or a voice input device, which is connected to the control device (22) and by means of which input information representing the subspace selection signal or generating it and / or the priority information or priority information can be predefined.Motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 9, characterized in that the input device (23) is arranged in the operating region (24) of the driver of the motor vehicle (1), it being possible by means of the input device (23) to preset a subspace selection signal which selects any of the subspaces (8, 10, 13, 14) of the motor vehicle (1).Motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the or a further input device (23, 27) is arranged in the or one of the selectable subspaces (8, 10, 13, 14), wherein only one subspace selection signal selecting this subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) can be predefined by means of the or the further input device (23, 27).Motor vehicle (1) according to one of Claims 7 to 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one sensor (28), which is connected to the control device (22), for detecting data which relate to at least one subspace (8, 10, 13, 14) assigned to the sensor (28), wherein the control device (22) is configured to generate the or a user information item and / or the or an occupancy information item on the basis of the data detected by the sensor (28).Motor vehicle (1) according to Claim 12, characterized in that the sensor (28) is a camera (29), with which at least one of the subspaces (8, 10, 13, 14) can be detected, and / or a microphone and / or a fingerprint scanner and / or an eye scanner and / or a pressure sensor (30) arranged in a passenger space (7, 9, 11, 12) of the motor vehicle (1), which is in particular designed as a seat (4, 5) or represents part of a rear bench 6.

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